New program puts healthy choices at forefront of New Bedford storefronts

Tuesday

Feb 25, 2014 at 12:25 AMFeb 25, 2014 at 2:49 PM

The initiative, run by New Bedford's Mass in Motion program, is meant to make healthy choices convenient to neighborhoods not within walking distances of major supermarkets.

ARIEL WITTENBERG

NEW BEDFORD — In order to reach the chips at The Butcher Shop on Dartmouth Street, you must first go around the fruit stand.

Filled with apples, pears, peppers, tomatoes and bananas, the stand's placement as an obstacle to fattier, saltier food is designed to make shoppers think twice about snacking on junk food.

"We try to tell people what's good for them," explains The Butcher Shop's proprietor, Jose Pinarreta. "If my customers ask why we moved things around, I just tell them it's for the future. We want our kids to be healthy."

Prominently placing fruits and vegetables is just one requirement that five New Bedford corner stores, including The Butcher Shop, have met to become designated "healthy markets."

The initiative, run by New Bedford's Mass in Motion program, is meant to make healthy choices convenient to neighborhoods not within walking distances of major supermarkets.

The five neighborhood markets all had to stock a certain amount of fruits, vegetables, snacks and whole-grain products, and must all carry low-fat milk, 100 percent juice and water.

They also must designate "healthy zones" that make these alternative foods easily accessible to customers.

"You always see kids going into these corner stores on their way to or from school, grabbing cheap, highly-processed foods," Mass in Motion's Kim Ferreira said. "We are working with store owners to offer healthy alternatives and to place them where kids will want to buy them."

Currently, Amaral's Fish Market, DeMello's Market, Giammalvo's Market, the Butcher Shop and Xavier's Market are the only ones with the designation, but Ferreira said she is looking for more partners.

All of those markets are more than a half-mile away from major supermarkets, something Ferreira said is especially important.

"Families rely on these corner stores," she said. "We want to make sure parents know they are not just a convenient place to get a single item but somewhere you could go to put together a healthy meal for the whole family."

At a kickoff event for the program Monday afternoon, Mayor Jon Mitchell described the markets as "just another arrow in our quiver to fight childhood obesity."

"They are taking the lead to promote healthy eating and nutrition," he said.

Alex Magalhaes, of the family-owned Amaral's Market, said participating in the program was a "no-brainer" for him.

"We saw benefit in it because it promotes our products and is good for the community,' he said. "It's a win-win."